Chapter 23: The Third Round

[Analysis complete. Greater Demon – Knight Commander Rank.]

In Sen’s time, this creature would be around level 40. Today, it was closer to 400. In terms of raw stats, it would have the same number of points as he did while activating all three of his hybrid stats.

[I believe it’s somewhere around level 455.]

That was just fantastic.

Alari wasted no time dispelling the magic fire circle, to allow all the other members of Brightsail to join the fight.

As the fire dissipated, Sen noticed Dasai and Marin Peace standing to the side. Marin was casting some kind of spell, but whatever it was, she wasn’t finished yet. Dasai stared at the Greater Demon as if he could strategize it to death. He wasn’t sure what kind of tricks Dasai had up his sleeve, but Sen didn’t have time to wait.

The Greater Demon hadn’t expected Girch to charge like that. It hadn’t even noticed them enter the room. Even now as it tumbled to the ground and fought against Girch’s embrace, its eyes still fixated on Alari.

That was odd. Had she hurt it? Or was there another reason for its obsession with her? Girch started pummeling into the creature’s side, his strength enhanced by the golden armor Susanna had created for him. Finally, the demon turned to deal with him. It grappled with him, slowly prying itself free of his grasp. But just when it seemed like it might escape, Snake jumped into the air and brought a crushing hand down on its face. Smoke filled the room.

Sen watched, waiting to see what the outcome would be. Two objects went flying out of the smoke. One a blur of gold, the other green and white.

Girch hit one wall, smacking into it not far from Dasai and Marin. Snake hit the opposite wall.

The smoke cleared, and the creature was standing again. It reached down and tore off another minotaur limb as easily as tearing a sheet of paper. It started snacking once again.

Sen glared at it. “Disgusting creature.” He held a hand out and called his magic forth. “Frost Hunt Maxim.” This spell was aggressive enough for him to gauge the creature’s strength. At the same time he launched it, he wrapped himself in Encapsulation for Milim’s sake. She’d be able to get out of the way if the creature retaliated now. Joseia vibrated near Susanna. He could keep her out of harm’s way with his speed, and she could keep the pressure up with her creations.

Ice manifested on the ground just in front of Sen and started racing towards the demon. Alari took several steps back, worried she might get swept in the magic as well, but there was no threat of that. The spell knew who its target was, and it would avoid allies. The demon chewed nonchalantly, though it watched the ice slowly approaching it with casual interest. It watched like a human might watch a caterpillar crawling on a leaf, or a bird flying in the sky. Like it was staring at something that was totally removed from it and didn’t present a threat at all. As the ice reached it, it lifted a foot and stomped. The spell shattered instantly.

[Perhaps it’s time for Maxima?]

Sen shook his head at Tutor’s suggestion. The creature was underestimating him, and that was to his benefit. Maxima would be effective against an opponent like this, but he was still gaining an understanding of its full power. There was too much risk of collateral damage with all the other students around. It wouldn’t be a big deal if the runes worked, but…

He looked up.

If the runes worked. These hollow spheres in the air had something to do with the runes. They almost seemed like some kind of batteries. If that were the case then…

“Susanna, those spheres, can you fix them with creation magic? I believe they’re what fuels the resurrection runes. If you could, we might be able to get the runes back online,” Sen called out.

She looked up and her eyes lit up. “I can try. Cover me!” she called out. A large golden hand formed, and she stepped into its palm. It lifted her effortlessly into the air, and she began tinkering with the hollow spheres, golden tools appearing in her hands.

The demon took note, and Sen sensed it readying a spell.

“Great. It knows magic.” Of course, most demons did, but a mage could hope.

Sen walked to the left, standing between the creature and Susanna. He’d protect her while she worked. The creature’s gaze fell on him. That’s when the others moved.

Snake attacked from the creature’s left. Alari circled from behind. Girch attacked from the right.

Serpent claws stabbed into the demon’s torso. Girch’s powerfully armored hand smashed into the demon’s jaw, and Alari pierced the creature through the back with Flamesaber. Blood poured out from the creature’s chest and loosely hanging mouth. It looked down casually, ignoring the wounds, and grabbed yet another limb off the minotaur.

[Poor thing. Its family won’t have anything left to bury. Wait, do minotaurs have families? At the very least, it had a mom. Unless…are minotaurs like jellyfish? The question of asexual reproduction complicates everything.]

As it ate, its wounds closed. Sen realized this was going to take much more than poking and prodding. This was a powerful greater-demon, and the others, as strong as they were, were outmatched.

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“Buy me time,” Sen ordered. Though he expected pushback from Alari and Snake, neither did. They’d already seen what he could do.

[Are we doing the thing? We have to be right. We set it up for a reason.]

Sen concentrated on his mana. Right now, he needed to focus.

“Tri-Infernal…” He grimaced. If he could let loose, this wouldn’t be a problem, but greater spells sometimes had wills of their own. This one wanted to incinerate anything and everything in the vicinity. Including his allies. He needed to bend it to his will. He needed to make sure he had full control before releasing it.

“Flamesaber Spirit!” Alari cried as she leapt toward the demon. A large dragon made of fire crawled out of the tip of the blade and made its way toward the demon.

On the other side, Snake struck simultaneously. “Spectral Claw – Venom!”